Advocating for Community Energy at Future of Utilities & Reset Connect Events
“We can’t keep missing opportunities to develop wind & solar sites simply because energy companies don’t know how to engage communities.”
Our CEO and co-founder Giovanna represented and advocated for a cleaner, fairer future through community energy at two events in June.
The above quote and photo from the Future of Utilities. At Reset Connect, Gi joined a panel on Community Energy Ownership and Decentralised Solutions, with some quotes included below:
Key Points from Reset Connect
💡 Community energy gives confidence to householders who are usually concerned about rising energy costs during the Net Zero transition. Local residents are more likely to trust local organisations to provide clear information and support.
💡 Community energy is still relatively new — the first projects were funded in 2009. It is an innovative approach, but it urgently needs funding to work effectively with communities.
💡 Residents become more confident about retrofitting and installing solar panels when they see their neighbours doing it. We urgently need regulations that allow community energy projects to supply energy directly to domestic users.
💡 We operate a circular model, where profits from our solar projects are reinvested into our fuel poverty alleviation work.
💡 If I do say it myself, Selce is doing an amazing and efficient job, especially considering the limited funding available. However, much more needs to be done, and greater investment is essential for the growth of community energy.
🎤 Thank you also to our colleague Syed Ahmed at Community Energy London, who backed us on this point – Syed added: “Local authorities recognise the importance of community energy projects. However, we need more government grants to support and scale these initiatives.”